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Tuesday, 23 October 2012

﻿I don't do many of these, but as it's a music blog, it seems borderline relevant. I wrote this for another project initially, but it'll do to go here as well. John

Formerly known as the ranty noise-maker behind poet/rapper Scroobius Pip, Dan le Sac's debut album was released in July.

After
two albums as a duo – Angles in 2008 and Logic of Chance two years
later – both let themselves off the leash with solo projects, Pip with
Distraction Pieces last year and now this, Space Between The Words,
where le Sac collaborates with a range of artists to produce something
unique and stylish.

On Distraction Pieces, Pip takes a
turn for the dark side, but his producer proves to be quite the magpie,
flitting from style to style, artist to artist with ease and a deftness
of touch that certainly wasn't present on Angles. Clearly he wasn't
about to start singing, but the range and quality of the artists he's
been able to work with on this album speaks volumes for the regard he's
held in as a producer. There's a clear trust that he's not about to
butcher their babies, their songs.

The two tracks
released to the world ahead of the album are the most obvious singles.
Play Along, featuring Sarah Williams White, has the air of Lily Allen's
evil twin sister about it. Pip collaborator B Dolan voices Caretaker, a Lyrically
intelligent piece with the chart appeal of something like
Gangster's Paradise. Perhaps it needs adding to a film soundtrack to
push it over the top – there's certainly plenty on here that would not
sounds out of place in a cinematic environment.

Memorial
is reminiscent of early Portishead, Emmy the Great's vocal sounding uncannily
like Beth Gibbons, while the thumping beat – with vocals to match from
Joshua Idehen – of Tuning is a foot-stomping floor-filler.

But
the masterpiece is saved to last and it's the album in microcosm.
Cherubs begins like a Sigur Ros record, all floaty and ethereal with an
idiosyncratic percussion track. Then Pete Hefferan's vocals – he of Pete
and the Pirates – kick in with a Robert Smith quality lending a Cure
vibe to things, though never enough to overwhelm the unique sound Dan
has been able to infuse the whole album with.

Comparisons
are inevitable, but putting that to one side, this is a mightily
impressive piece of work. So often, producer-led projects can sound
cold, clinical, just too damn efficient. Not this; this is varied, warm
and engaging. Thou shalt not make repetitive generic music seems a life
lesson well lived.

Monday, 22 October 2012

Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons - The NightJohn: Reached number seven in 1975, but it's got a real contemporary feel to it. Mark Ronson's doing this, basically.Carolyn: It's certainly stood the test of time.

The Vaccines - I Always KnewCarolyn: That's two for two off that album now. Teenage Icon is catchy and so is this.John: That's the new single and it's out on November 11.

Little Comets - A Little OpusJohn: From Newcastle and the album, Life Is Elsewhere, was out last week.

Cover Version CornerVelvet Underground and Nico/Record Club - Femme FataleJohn: Record Club is a project Beck has put together where they cover a whole album in a day and this is off their first one. Also, Velvet Underground and Nico is re-released after a coat of varnish this week for it's 35th anniversary.

Django Django - Life's A BeachJohn: The fourth or fifth record from the album we've played on the show. It's terrific.Carolyn: It has a real '60s vibe.

The Go! Team - Buy Nothing DayJohn: As peppy a pop record as you could wish for.

No Ceremony - feelsolowJohn: I don't know anything about these, because there's nothing to know.

The Kingstonians - SuffererJohn: Skanking round the studio to that one. We don't play enough ska.Carolyn: Well you pick the records!John: Originally out in 1970, that's on a Trojan Records compilation called Boss Reggae

The Black Keys - Lonely BoyJohn: Less of a country feel to that than some of their others.Carolyn: I like the woah-woah-woahs

One Degree Of SeparationThe Streets - Let's Push Things ForwardThe d.o.t. feat. Claire Maguire and Danny Brown - You Never AskedJohn: Your link here is Mike Skinner, formerly recording as The Streets and that was his second single from way back in 2002. His new project with Rob Harvey, formerly of The Music, is The d.o.t. and their debut album, And That, is out today.

Vampire Weekend - Giving Up The GunJohn: From the album Contra from 2010.

Grimes - GenesisJohn: Grimes is Canadian chanteuse Claire Boucher.

Peace - BloodshakeJohn: From their debut EP Delicious which was out in August.

Monday, 15 October 2012

My Life Story - I DiveCarolyn: I chose this. I love the lyrics - you don't fall in love, you dive.John: They kind of got lost in all that Britpop stuff, but deserve a wider audience.

Rachel Zeffira - Break The SpellJohn: She's a Canadian singer and her debut album, The Deserters, is out in December.

The Zolas - Knot In My HeartJohn: Also Canadian. It's not like we just throw this together. I was hooked by the Doctor Who-like opening.Carolyn: I wonder who they're named after.John: Emile, Gianfranco... Calvin?

Cover Version CornerThe Cure/Dinosaur Jr - Just Like HeavenJohn: That Dinosaur Jr version ends abruptly. They're back together and recording again - new album out too.

Tuesday, 9 October 2012

We don't theme shows, but this week we did go for a few really long tracks. Hey, less work ain't it?

Palma Violets - Best Of Friends

Ride - Leave Them All BehindJohn: There is a four-minute radio edit of that, but you need all nine for me. Love it, love it, love it. Can't believe it's 20 years old.Carolyn: Not feeling it

Cover Version CornerEddie Cochran/Guitar Wolf - Summertime BluesJohn: Guitar Wolf, a Nagasaki-based punk group that have been around since the '80s. That was on the Scott Pilgrim vs The World soundtrack

Tame Impala - Music To Walk Home By

Pollens - Helping HandsJohn: I like how it ends up as a totally different record to how it starts. It's like it's in three movements

Toy - KopterJohn: How about that? Ten minutes of Krautrock brilliance. Don't know how you can take your ears off it.

(Still no name for this format idea - suggestions please)Super Furry Animals - (Drawing) Rings Around The WorldNeon Neon - I Told Her On AlderaanJohn: You can tell immediately what the link isCarolyn: The singerJohn: Yep. Gruff Rhys, lead singer of the Super Furry Animals who you heard first and his side project, Neon Neon, with producer Boom Bip

Beth Jeans Houghton and the Hooves of Destiny - LilliputCarolyn: It's good that someone can hit the range of notes she does without warblingJohn: She comes from more of a folk tradition which might have something to do with it. Maybe?

Cover Version CornerTears For Fears/Gary Jules and Michael Andrews - Mad WorldJohn: The Gary Jules version featured on the soundtrack to Donnie Darko of course and was a christmas number one.Carolyn: I love how the two versions stir totally different emotions

Hookworms - Teen DreamsJohn: Very definitely influenced by the Krautrock scene - early Kraftwerk, Can and Neu! as part of a general revival we're noticing

Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Heads Will Roll

Coves - No Ladder

M83 - Midnight City

Pixies - Here Comes Your ManThe Breeders - CannonballJohn: Still not got a name for this section. Still want suggestions. Frank Black and Joey Santiago formed the Pixies and hired Kim Deal on bass. Kim and Kelley Deal formed the Breeders in one of the Pixies' numerous hiatuses

Django Django - StormJohn: Yes, again. Show favourites.

The Count and Sinden feat The Mystery Jets - After Dark

iamamiwhoami - GoodsJohn: We're only getting half of this here as it's very much an audio-visual project by Swedish duo Jonna Lee and Claes Bjorklund. Fortunately, this being both audio and visual....

The Flaming Lips - The W.A.N.DJohn: It stands for 'The will always negates defeat'

Kid Koala - 2-Bit BluesJohn: From the new album 12-Bit Blues which has such track titles as 1-bit Blues, 2-Bit Blues, 3-Bit Blues...Carolyn: Needs a bit of inspiration there, but otherwise it's very good

Public Service Broadcasting - SpitfireJohn: A very interesting project, snipping up old public service broadcasts and putting this sort of thing out.

The Black Keys - Little Black Submarines

Cover Version CornerJunior Murvin/The Clash - Police and ThievesJohn: That Clash one is a short version. The proper one is six and a bit minutes.

Blende - Fake Love

Marmalade Sky - ShowmenJohn: A Bristol-based mod-revivalist band and thanks to my mate Chappers for pointing me in their direction

Buzzcocks - Sixteen AgainMagazine - Definitive Gaze

John: A new format idea which we haven't really got a name for. Rock Family Trees was what I came up with, but I don't really like it. Suggestions please. (Drop us a tweet or leave a comment)Carolyn: So what's the connection?John: Howard de Voto was a founder member of the Buzzcocks, but was kicked out before they hit the big time and formed Magazine which was itself a pretty influential band. They're all back together now though, riding the wave of reunions

Melody's Echo Chamber - I Follow YouJohn: An interesting project between Australian multi-instrumentalist Kevin Parker and French singer Melody ProchetCarolyn: That's not working for me

David Holmes - I Heard WondersJohn: Is that a Krautrock influence I hear?

Django Django - DefaultMacabees - PelicanJohn: Both of these bands were nominated for the Mercury Music Prize this week and we'll have two more later

Simian Mobile Disco feat Beth Ditto - Cruel Intentions

Kele - Tenderoni

Cover Version CornerSimon and Garfunkel/The Lemonheads - Mrs RobinsonJohn: Simon and Garfunkel's version from which film?Carolyn: The GraduateJohn: And The Lemonheads?Carolyn: Not a clueJohn: Wayne's World 2Carolyn: Only you would know enough to care

Los Saicos - El Enterrio de los GatosJohn: There's a new documentary out that says punk didn't start in mid-'70s New York, but Lima a good ten years earlier and this band at the forefront. The title means 'the burial of the cats' and I do think you can see blues moving in a direction towards what we know as punk

Grizzly Bear - Yet Again

M83 - Reunion

Julian Cope - If You Loved Me At AllJohn: Possibly my second-favourite artist/band/whateverCarolyn: You want me to ask who your favourite is don't youJohn: You know who that is surelyCarolyn: Half Man Half Biscuit

Richard Hawley - Seek ItField Music - Who'll Pay The BillsJohn: Two more Mercury nominees. The others are: Ben Howard, Roller Trio, Sam Lee, Plan B, Alt-J, Jessie Ware, Michael Kiwanuka and Lianne La HavasCarolyn: Who do you want to win?John: It'd be nice if it was Richard Hawley, but Django Django is probably my favourite. Not Alt-J will be acceptable

Air - Seven StarsJohn: From the album Voyage Dans La Lune which is a re-imagining, as I believe they have it these days, of the score to the film of that name by the Lumiere Brothers

Richard Hawley - Seek It

Cornershop feat Bubbley Kaur - TopknotJohn: If you only know Cornershop from the Fatboy Slim remix of Brimful Of Asha, it might surprise you. This is them getting back in touch with their Punjabi roots with a previously unrecorded singer

Chemical Brothers - Theme for VelodromeJohn: One of a series of pieces commissioned for the Olympics. Impossible to not to draw comparisons to Kraftwerk

Euros Childs - That's BetterJohn: I'm really not sure whether I like this, but threw it in anyway for people to make their own minds upCarolyn: I'm not sure eitherJohn: Is it me or does it sound a bit like Cockney Rebel?

Beck - GirlJohn: Beck released a new work in the week only available as sheet musicCarolyn: That's odd. Why?John: Part of that whole debate about how to make music pay in the digital era. If it's illegal copying he's worried about though, he's clearly not heard of fax machines or photocopiers

Cover Version CornerBird - I Wanna Be Your DogJohn: A folk-funk version of the old Stooges recordCarolyn: I don't know the original. Maybe we should play that as well in future

Of Monsters And Men - Little Talks

Beat Connection - Further Out

Longpigs - On And OnJohn: Bloody love this one. Can't believe it's nearly 20 years old

Smoke Fairies - Let Me Know

Housemartins - Me And The FarmerJohn: I had a look at the video when I was putting the show together. Blimey, they look young. Top record though

The Kinks - VictoriaJohn: Victoria Pendleton had won gold at the Olympics during the week

Foo Fighters - Monkey Wrench

Manic Street Preachers - You Stole The Sun From My Heart

Cover Version CornerDan le Sac feat. Pete Hefferan - CherubsJohn: Our first format idea - play a cracking cover of an old song. This is an old Arab Strap record done in a totally different way and it is bloody brilliant.

Belle and Sebastian - Boy With The Arab Strap

Jack White - Freedom At 21

Bob Marley and the Wailers - Redemption SongJohn: It was Jamaican Independence Day the previous weekend, the 50th anniversary, so we had to really

John: That's all I can remember. My record-taking picked up subsequently.

Here's your YouTube playlist, albeit with the Arab Strap original of Cherubs and not the Dan Le Sac/Pete Hefferan version.

Hi-Fi Curious airs Tuesdays between 7 and 8pm on 2HR, Huddersfield Hospital Radio, and is presented by Carolyn and John. Here's John in the studio, as viewed from Carolyn's engineer's seat:

He's probably air-drumming with his pen - he does that.

2HR only broadcasts to the hospital buildings at Huddersfield - licensing innit - so the show is only available to those unfortunate enough to find themselves in the HRI of a Tuesday evening. This companion blog will feature track listings, maybe some clips of the records we play and some comments about them from the pair of us.

We don't have a theme or a remit as such, just put together an entertaining hour of new music, old music, stuff you know, stuff you don't and a couple of format ideas (it's not just flung together, y'know). Hopefully there's something for everyone in there. That's the idea anyway.